German beer is an important part of German culture. There are about 1,300 breweries in Germany – more than in any other country – and German beer has an excellent reputation for quality.
The German beer market has been rather sheltered from the rest of the world because of the German Reinheitsgebot (purity) regulation, which dates back to 1516. This dictates that the only ingredients allowed in beer are water, hops and barley-malt. After its discovery, yeast became the fourth legal ingredient and sugar is also permitted for top-fermented beers. Many breweries worldwide have adopted the Reinheitsgebot for their own beers. It is still compulsory for German brewers but has not applied to imported beer since 1988.
Carlsberg brands have been exported to Germany for decades, so it was natural for the Group to gain a foothold in the country. In 1988 Carlsberg took over Hannen-Brauerei, which was an “Alt-Bier” brewery in Mönchengladbach, and in 2004 we acquired one of Germany’s leading breweries – Holsten-Brauerei in Hamburg.
The history of Holsten-Brauerei is closely associated with that of Hamburg and Altona, where the brewery was founded in 1879. From its early days, the brewery has been an active player in licensed production, both in other European countries and in Africa and China.
KEY DATES:
1879: Holsten-Brauerei founded
1927: Production capacity extended
1939: Beer sales collapse
1943: More than 100 bombs hit Holsten between 25 July and 3 August
1946: Reconstruction of Holsten begins
1952: Holsten begins exporting beer in cans
1953: Holsten reaches pre-war production levels
1976: Licence production begins in Great Britain, followed by Hungary and Nigeria
1990: Licence production begins in China, followed by Namibia, Honduras and Poland
1998: Holsten acquires Bavaria-St. Pauli-Brauerei in Hamburg
2004: Carlsberg acquires a majority shareholding in Holsten-Brauerei
KEY FACTS:
Sites: 4
Employees: 1,500
Market Position: 2 in Northern Germany and number 5 in Germany
Market Share: 5,3%
Consumption per person: 115 litres
Carlsberg Ownership: 100%
BRANDS:
Carlsberg, Duckstein, Holsten, Lübzer, Astra, Feldschlösschen, 5.0 Original
CONTACTS:
Carlsberg Deutschland
Holstenstrasse 224
22765 Hamburg
Germany
Tel. +49 403 81 010
Fax: +49 403 8101 751
E-mail: info@holsten.de
Website: www.carlsberg.de & www.holsten.de
DID YOU KNOW THAT ..?
- In 1948, the annual beer consumption per person in Germany was only 25 litres. In 2001 it had increased to 123 litres.
- The World Astra Day is celebrated each year in August. It is an open air music festival in the middle of Hamburg. When the tradition started in 1997, the event took place in the brewery area. Later it became so popular that it had to be moved to the Landungsbrücken in the harbour.
- More than 1,500 entrepreneurs, managers and employees of the German gastronomic industry meet every October at the historical Fischhall in the Harbour of Hamburg to celebrate the Carlsberg Gastro/Hotel Award.
Revised 2007